Online people can make fast friends and all can seem well, until it isn't. As fast as a connection is formed, it can deform and become malignant. The truth is you are putting a high price on trust with people you do not know, holding in confidence that they are who they say they are, and that they are not out for nefarious ends. If you do not know the people you friend online in real life, you can fall prey to shapeshifters, sadists, and potential avowed Satanists. Anonymity gives people are ability to slip into your life and out with ease, and to acquire intel on you and then force you to vacate when they decide they are done with you. One must be careful what you share, for these actors use guile and your loneliness as weapons. The payment they seek may not be your identity or accounts, rather your soul, to tear at it and make you rue connection and fellowship. Make no mistake not everyone is out to steal your finances, others want your faith, especially in people, to forever be destroyed.
As Christians we have to remember our Master's dire warning, "Behold, I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves, so be shrewd as serpents and innocent as doves." (Matthew 10:16). I prefer the shrewd translation over wise, for shrewdness means, "
having or showing sharp powers of judgement; astute." It behooves us to have sound judgement in this digital day and age. I would even urge you to ask for the Gift of Shrewdness, of Discernment, " to another discernment of spirits [the ability to distinguish sound,
godly doctrine from the deceptive doctrine of man-made religions and
cults]." (1 Corinthians 12:10 AMPC). Usually your gut sense is right, do not smother it with your ache in loneliness, and ignore the warning signs being presented to you.
There is a reason healthy interpersonal relationships take time in the real world. The barrier of time is important, to gain trust slowly and in turn develop bonds built on reality. It is a safeguard that people are cautious and do not caste their pearls, "" (). If someone is inquiring a great deal about you, that is a supreme red flag they are malicious. Through online a person can be more patient, they cane disguises their queries in conversations about things you love, and slowly develop a profile on you. The more you tell, the more they can hurt you. So many people are cavalier about confessing themselves even under aliases online, and feel its not a problem, little harm can come of it. They are thinking on in a monetary spectrum, which is a concern, but these sadists do not want your money, they want to maim you emotionally, and even spiritually. They know you are isolated, and even lonely, and they prey as lions do on it; like the antelope that strays from its herd, they pounce. To fight back you have to do some hard things, first you have to build walls online, that you never confess your full name, never share a picture (they can reverse find you on social media through a single picture), do not mention family names or famous places you visit, and above all, be careful spiritually, their main objective as agents of Satan wittingly or unwittingly is to hurt you, "You used to live in sin, just like the rest of the world, obeying the devil—the commander of the powers in the unseen world. He (Satan) is the spirit at work in the hearts of those who refuse to obey God." (Ephesians 2:2, NLT). You have to also train yourself to let go, to be able to walk away from the online servers and groups, and sites. This is hard because you are lonely, and want companionship, but you cannot really know these people, so you have to do the harder thing, go to a Men's or Women's Church Group, find a Hobby Group (Martial Arts, Golf, and etc), take a class where you will meet people interested in a subject, and etc. You get what you put into it, and only in person interactions will you be able to find some healthier relationships. I am not saying there will not be evil agents there too, but they are easier to spot then behind the masks of profile pictures, and zeroes and ones (coding).
We have to become shrewd as serpents. We are living in an age where we can unwittingly invite the head of Satanism into our homes via Tik Tok, Discord, instagram, Reddit, Twitch, Tumbler, and etc. Before you would never associate with certain circles in real life, because you are a good Christian do not attend coven meetings, and so forth, but online you can be directly interacting with such people and not know it. This is the problem, the cloak that the digital world gives people. We must execute great judgement and discern the spirits, testing them (1 John 4:1). This can be harder to do with people wearing their online masks, but the Holy Spirit is greater than they. He can alarm you. Jesus our Lord can show you, and The Father will protect you if you will listen and obey Him. We have to be proactive. Abandoning cyberpsace is not an option, so we must be shrewd and yet gentles as doves. People need Jesus, and we are his Disciples, carrying His Truth to them, but the enemy has his disciples out there too, and we must beware of the wolves. Amen.
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